Team Hardpoint EBM Brings IMSA GTD Porsche, Two Porsche Carrera Cup Cars to Watkins Glen 24.06.2021: Two Porsche Carrera Cup North America Championship Contenders and a Strong WeatherTech Championship Line-Up Ready For Results

Two Porsche Carrera Cup North America Championship Contenders and a Strong WeatherTech Championship Line-Up Ready For Results

 

Team Hardpoint EBM is set for IMSA’s return to Watkins Glen International for the first time in two years, running the GT Daytona (GTD) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Saturday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen and a pair of entries in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Championship.



Season-long drivers Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge are joined by Andrew Davis in the No. 88 Richard Mille/Grid Rival Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD endurance race for the WeatherTech Championship. Riley Dickinson and Efrin Castro return to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship for a doubleheader in the No. 53 Porsche Austin/Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and the No. 65 Fine Fare Supermarkets/GoDominicanRepublic.com Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, respectively.  



The weekend features a pair of 45-minute Porsche Carrera Cup races, with the first on the afternoon of Friday, June 25 at 1 p.m. EDT and the second on Saturday, June 26 at 9:35 a.m. EDT.



The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen endurance race is Sunday, June 27 beginning at 10:40 a.m. EDT. Each race can be seen live via TrackPass on the NBC Sports app. The six-hour race will be rebroadcast in a shortened window from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT on Sunday evening for cable subscribers on NBCSN.



Team Hardpoint EBM’s driver line-up brings a load of past success to Sunday’s six-hour race. features a return to Team Hardpoint EBM for Davis, who co-drove with the team during endurance races in the 2020 season. Davis won the race behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 in 2011, while Legge earned the top spot more recently in 2017. This will be Ferriol’s first Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen start, though he stood on the podium in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Watkins Glen in 2019.
 


Dickinson and Castro enter the Carrera Cup doubleheader at Watkins Glen in championship contention after four of the 16 scheduled races. Dickinson currently sits fourth in the Pro Championship with a podium at both Sebring and Circuit of the Americas, while Castro is second in the Pro-Am class after three runner-up finishes in the opening four stanzas.



Watkins Glen is the closest track to Castro’s home in New Jersey. Like Ferriol, Castro was on the podium in Porsche GT3 Cup at Watkins Glen in 2019.



This weekend at Watkins Glen is open to spectators, and following the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Detroit, will allow ticket holders in the paddock. The event actually begins on Thursday with a pair of Carrera Cup practices, with qualifying at 9:15 a.m. on Friday morning.



Friday’s Carrera Cup race comes before the first WeatherTech practice of the weekend at 4:20 p.m. EDT. The WeatherTech Championship practices at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, followed by Carrera Cup race two at 9:35 a.m. WeatherTech GTD qualifying is at 11:50 a.m. EDT to set the grid for Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

 


Rob Ferriol, Driver and Team Owner, No. 88 Richard Mille/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “Watkins Glen is one of my personal favorite tracks, so I’m looking forward to getting there as a driver. This team has put in an exceptional amount of work to have us ready to go this week and we have historically performed well on the longer races.


As a team owner, that makes me proud because I know how hard the crew is working. We’ll have Andrew joining Katherine and I, so I know we’ll all be working together toward our common goal. It’s also great to have the Carrera Cup team back with us this weekend. I know Riley and Efrin have put in the time to get their results, so now it’s just a matter of piecing it all together to get the results we have worked for.”



Andrew Davis, Driver, No. 88 Richard Mille/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to join Team Hardpoint for another go! Rob Ferriol and his staff have done an outstanding job of building up this organization. I immediately felt at home with the team when I joined them for the endurance rounds last season. I have been keeping close and remaining hopeful that our paths might cross again.



A large portion of my career has been behind the wheel of Porsche machinery, including my 2011 Sahlen’s victory in Rolex GT. So, I’m really pleased to have the chance to drive the newest version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The other bit of excitement for me is being able to join Katherine Legge for the first time as teammates. I always enjoy teaming up with strong partners…it’s how I push myself to get better. I would like to thank Rob Ferriol, Team Hardpoint, and Porsche Motorsports North America for this opportunity.”




Katherine Legge, Driver, No. 88 Richard Mille/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I’m really looking forward to Watkins Glen. I’ve won this race before and I’m hungry to do it again! Team Hardpoint EBM has worked really hard since Detroit and our Richard Mille Porsche is ready to go. We had a great test there just a few weeks ago, and the team is really coming together and finding their stride. That should add up to a strong result this weekend.”




Riley Dickinson, Driver, No. 53 Porsche Austin Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It's been two years now since we’ve had a race there so I’m really excited to have a race event there with the 992 car. I think it’s going to be an exciting event for Carrera Cup fans. It is rounds five and six of the championship, so it’s still early on in the season but it’s time to get down to business as far as the Championship is concerned.


It’s an important weekend for us, but it’s also the first time in a year and a half that we’re going to have fans in the paddock. I’m looking forward to being able to share that experience in the paddock. It’s going to be very cool to have them walking the paddock again and being back to normal, the way it should be. It’s going to be a great weekend and I’m looking forward to it.”




Efrin Castro, Driver, No. 65 Fine Fare Supermarkets Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: Watkins Glen is a fast track. You never go lower than third gear here, and I love the flow. In the past I’ve had good results here, so I feel really good and excited to go back. It’s one of my favorite tracks.


I’m excited because it’s technically my home track. I’m from New York, and I’m going to have a lot of my family and friends cheering me on. That’s going to go a long way for me because they always give me support and I’m happy to have that opportunity. This is going to be a first race weekend with fans in the paddock and that brings a lot of energy to us as drivers.

 


Reece White, Sideline Sports Photography